The Allard Register

A great resource for fans of the British sports car maker

The Allard Register from Hemmings Motor News

Although his production numbers never reached any truly significant levels, Sydney Allard put a huge stamp on racing in the years both immediately before and after World War II, when his J2 and J2X models featured Chrysler Hemi or Cadillac V-8 power. In the early 1950s, both Carroll Shelby and Zora Arkus-Duntov raced Allards and were clearly influenced by the potent combination of a big engine in a small car.
A bit crude and somewhat rudimentary, the most famous of all Allards made up for its lack of finesse with brute force and the wallop of torque that only a big, American pushrod V-8 can deliver. So, it comes as a bit of a surprise that The Allard Register's website offers an elegant, pleasing design that explores the history of Allard's cars, the man himself and his racing exploits, which were many.
Billing itself as "an informal group of Allard owners and enthusiasts," whose goal is "to promote the awareness of and interest in the Allard marque--and the special role that it played in the post-WWII renaissance of motor sports," The Allard Register pretty much nails that mission statement. Dating to the early 1970s, when it was strictly an old-school, newsletter-in-the-mail type of publication, the Register today still publishes a printed copy. The entire archives of the newsletter, dating to 1971, remain available in Adobe PDF format on the website. Now, the site gets updated as stories are completed, though the newsletter remains.
Along with that vast trove of Allard periodicals, the site also features an excellent primer on each model of car made by Sydney Allard, including his race cars. Less than 2,000 cars overall carried the Allard name and each model is represented on the site. Along with the most well-known cars to road racing fans--the J2s--and the slightly more civilized K and L models, there are also entries for Allard's dragster--the supercharged Hemi-powered rail car that was the first of its kind in Europe--as well as the multi-engined, all-wheel-drive Allard Steyr hillclimb special. Owners of Allards who are not registered are encouraged to do so and can via the site.
No matter which tabbed section you click on, the left side list of individual car models remains, as do the "Events" and newsletter "Archives" links on the right. When opening PDF documents hosted on the site, your browser will load them in a separate page, keeping your navigation in place. Under the "Allard Technical Links" tab, you will find a handful of potentially very useful Allard documents, including service manuals, service bulletins, Lucas parts numbers and even a set of schematic drawings of the J2 and its parts. Other useful links include parts suppliers, neatly organized by type, such as electrical, steering, tires and the various engines that ultimately ended up under the hood of the Allard, from Ford to Cadillac to Chrysler. Allard brochures and yearbooks add to the vast depths of information available to the enthusiast at The Allard Register.
Quick FactsURL:www.allardregister.orgType: Historical and technical information, including service manuals and advertising materials; regularly updated news and events on the subject; vendor listings and useful links.Focus: Promoting the awareness and interest in Allards and the role the cars and the company played in the post-World War II rejuvenation of motorsports.Registration: Not requiredFamily rating: GHemmings rating: 4 stars

This article originally appeared in the December, 2013 issue of Hemmings Motor News.